


i've seen the lights go out on broadway

by holtzbian



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 05:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10984206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holtzbian/pseuds/holtzbian
Summary: Erin & Holtzmann find the light in a dark place.





	i've seen the lights go out on broadway

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I wrote this to channel my emotions into something relatively worthwhile and thought I'd share it in case it can make someone else smile. I didn't include any specifics as I definitely don't want it to seem as though I'm capitalizing on tragedy.  
> Love to you all, and thanks for reading.

_I've seen the lights go out on Broadway  
I've watched the mighty skyline fall_

 

Often, when bad things happen, Holtzmann disappears for a while. Not necessarily things that happen to her, but events around the world, anything that even the smartest of people couldn't fathom the enormity of. The rest of the team know this and accept it; they each have their ways of coping with things, and this is hers.

On the morning after a particular shaking tragedy, Erin had been expecting her girlfriend to take off for the day. Instead, Holtzmann stays close to her all day, doesn't leave the room unless she has to, and holds her hand a little tighter than usual on the walk from their apartment to the firehouse.

Although they'd had a busy week, no busts come up throughout the day. The four of them silently appreciate that even the ghosts seem to be taking a mourning period.

It leaves them free to continue working on their theories, but none of them feel particularly up to the task. Instead, they spend the day watching the news as the story continues to unfold, with more and more casualties named, a silent expression of thanks and appreciation for each other hanging in the air between them. It doesn't need to be verbalised. They can feel it.

They're just about to call it a day, order dinner, and watch a movie together when Holtz suddenly drops what she's doing and runs up the stairs. The others share a look of confusion, before Erin goes after her.

She finds her on the roof, sitting on the ledge, looking at her hands, a cigarette balanced between her lips. She only smokes when she's nervous.

Erin hates being that close to the edge; she read somewhere that it comes from a subconscious fear that you'll throw yourself off, but she worries when Holtz is out there too.

"Hey," Erin says quietly, approaching her with some hesitation.

Holtzmann looks up, her expression softer than Erin is expecting, like she had been waiting for her to come up.

"Hi," She responds, breaking into a small smile.

She waits until Erin joins her on the ledge, leaning against it instead of sitting on it with the fearlessness that Holtzmann does. Holtz balls her hand into a fist and shoves it in her pocket, turning to face her girlfriend.

"I love you," She says.

"I love you too." Erin smiles back.

Holtzmann grins, though a hint of sadness lingers behind her eyes.

"Thanks. But there's more."

She pushes off the wall then, dropping the remains of her cigarette and stepping on it to put it out, starting to slowly pace back and forth.

"I, uh," She begins, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

"I've been thinking a lot today, about how short life is, and we never know what can happen, and I just..."

She stops moving and looks at Erin.

"You mean so much to me. And I know I'm not good with words. But I would actually rob all the stars from the sky for you if that were possible. Maybe it is. I'll start working on it."

"I don't need you to do that," Erin says softly.

"You're enough."

"I hope so."

Holtzmann pauses for a long while, then digs in her pockets for a moment as she slowly walks back over to her. She brings her hand up in front of her slowly, holding something carefully between her finger and thumb. A ring.

"Holtz-"

"I had a lot of ideas about how I was going to do this," Holtzmann says, not letting her finish.

"I thought about fabricating a bust and having a ghost drop the ring in your lap, but that probably wouldn't be practical, what with having to train the ghost and all."

"That's a terrible idea," Erin laughs tearfully.

"I also considered homemade fireworks, but setting those off in New York on a day that isn't the fourth of July is probably not the best idea. I did make some, anyway. It was a lot of fun."

"You'd kill us all."

"Pfft," Holtzmann grins, swatting the air, tears in her eyes too.

"But I, uh, I didn't want it too be too big, either. This is just about us. About you. And today has just made me realise-"

She swallows hard.

"Anything could happen. And what we do is so dangerous anyway, and- I know I fuck around with hazardous materials all the live long day, but I'd never put any of us in any real danger. I'd never put you in danger, Er. I hope you know that."

"I know that."

She nods slowly, looking down at the ring between her fingers.

"I'm just painfully aware of how short and precious life is, and I just don't want you to go a second without knowing how important to me you are."

She gets down on one knee then, and Erin's breath catches in her throat.

"I wish I wasn't doing this on such a sad day, but I just couldn't wait any longer. And if we stop living our lives when bad things happen, then they've won right?"

She pauses, glancing towards the door.

"And I was going to say I wish Abby and Patty had been a part of this, but they're totally watching us from the doorway."

Patty cheers from behind them and Erin laughs, wiping her eyes with her pinky fingers.

"So, Erin Gilbert, wanna marry me? Wait, no, that's not it. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," She whispers immediately, tears streaming down her face.

"Awesome." Holtz whispers back, crying too.

She slides the ring onto her finger, and Erin doesn't even look at it before pulling Holtz up into a hard kiss, whilst Abby and Patty applaud and yell behind them.

The rest of the world falls away as they embrace, and they forget about the horrors of the world for a moment, utterly lost in each other.

"I'm sorry I smell like cigarettes," Holtz says against her lips.

"I don't give a flying fuck, Holtzmann," Erin laughs, tightening her arms around her waist.

It's barely a few seconds before Abby and Patty crash into them in a crushing group hug.

"LOVE WINS!" Abby yells.

"Oh my god," Erin chuckles into her _fiancee_ 's shoulder.

"I love y'all so much," Patty says, her voice muffled.

"Patty, are you crying?" Holtzmann chirps.

"Bitch, I might be," She sobs.

They stay like that for a long while, the four of them wrapped around each other, grateful for their safe little bubble of unconditional and unbreakable love. Erin finds Holtzmann's hands in the mess of limbs and squeezes it tight, marvelling at her ability to bring light in the darkest of days.

 

 _They say a handful still survive_  
_To tell the world about_  
 _The way the lights went out_  
 _And keep the memory alive_

**Author's Note:**

> P.S There's a gay movie reference in there. LMK in the comments if you caught it.


End file.
